The marriage of Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach is making a great career. While she directed the films Lady Bird (nominated for an Oscar in 2018) and the remake of Little Women, he knew how to put himself behind the camera in Stories of a Marriage. Now, work fate brings them together again in the film about Barbie. In this case, Gerwig will be the director and the script will be written by both of them.
A few weeks ago we heard the news that the actress of Yo, Tonya, Margot Robbie, will be the one who plays the doll, and that her partner Ken will be brought to the screen by Ryan Gosling.
Little by little, new data are revealed about who will accompany these two actors. The first name that was confirmed is that of Emma Mackey, who rose to popularity thanks to the character of Maeve Wiley in the Netflix series Sex Education. This year we also saw her star in the film Death on the Nile directed by Kenneth Branagh as Jacqueline De Bellefort.
Until now it was not confirmed what Mackey's role will be in Gerwig's film. Sources close to the actress stated that: “The role of Emma is very well guarded, but it is an important part and will really cement her evolution from actress from the small screen to star of the big screen”. And then rumors began to circulate about the possible role of Kelly, the younger sister of Barbie whose full name is Chelsea Kelly Roberts.
The physical resemblance between Robbie and Mackey is undeniable, so it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think about that possibility. Meanwhile, other names were also confirmed that would be added to this film, such as those of Alexandra Shipp (Tick, Tick... Boom! and X-Men), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty and Superstore), Kate McKinnon (Ghostbusters and Saturday Night Live) and Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Nor did they transcend the roles that each of them will play.
Although the project seems to be kept under 7 keys, they transcended some guidelines regarding the possible plot of the film. In principle, what was hinted at, collecting some statements, was that Barbie was expelled from Barbieland to join the real world, since they do not consider her absolutely perfect.
Speaking to Vogue magazine in England, Margot Robbie referred to the new film and tried to elucidate some prejudices that exist when it comes to mentioning the doll. “People in general, when they listen to Barbie, they already think: 'I know what the movie is about. ' And then they hear the name of Greta Gerwig, who is writing and directing the film and they're like, 'Okay, well, maybe I don't know what it's about. '”
Barbie's film is scheduled to start shooting in 2023 in the city of London. Speaking to the press at the time the project was announced, Robbie reflected on the impact he expects this film to have on the youngest: “I think it's a great opportunity to put some positivity in the world and a chance to be aspirational for younger children.”
It should be recalled that the idea of this film had two truncated processes. In 2016, the project was almost completed by actress and comedian Amy Schumer (who will be in front of the Oscars this Sunday), but then, again due to scheduling problems, she got out. In 2017, Sony offered actress Anne Hathaway to be Barbie, but it could not be done either. Negotiations only resumed in 2020 with the cast we already know.
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